Radio Silence

TW/CW: abusive parent; theme of mental illness

Radio Silence  is about a teen girl, Frances, who is very studious and acts like school is all she cares about when in reality she’s hiding her true personality.  Then, Frances meets Aled, who’s a lot like her, and who is also secretly the host of her favorite podcast Radio Silence; for the first time ever, Frances finally has someone she feels like she can be herself around.  When their friendship hits a rough spot, both Frances and Aled are forced to confront parts of their life they wish to forget.  This book is literally one of the best YA books I’ve ever read!  The teenagers were written so realistically and I loved how, instead of being about romance, the book focused on the platonic relationship between Frances and Aled.  I loved their friendship and wish more friendships could be like theirs.  I related to both Frances and Aled a lot and I love them both!  Also, I’m glad to know I’m not the only one that wears pop culture clothes all the time (Aled wears a Babar jacket!).  I loved how both Frances and Aled were unafraid to be themselves around each other, as that was also very relatable for me; being an autistic person, I feel like I’m never myself around other people a lot.  Seriously, I need an Aled in my life.  Speaking of which, I’m pretty sure Aled is autistic.   He didn’t really understand social stuff, he hated bars and he dressed/had interests that differed from the “norm.”  Truly, we don’t deserve Aled.  He’s so precious and I related to him so much!  This book might trigger people as it does deal with a character’s relationship with an abusive parent and their resulting mental health conditions due to the abuse.  Overall, Radio Silence  is a beautiful, well-written and relatable read.  Please do check it out!

“Hello.
I hope somebody is listening. I wonder- if nobody is listening to my voice, am I making any sound at all?” the opening line of the fictional podcast Radio Silence